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PROPOSALS TO MAKE A PRESCRIBED ALTERATION TO
SEAL CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARYSCHOOL
Zambra Way, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0DJ
School and Local Authority Details
The proposals to make a prescribed alteration to Seal Church of EnglandPrimary School,Zambra Way, Seal, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0DJfrom 1 September 2016are being published by Kent County Council, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ. Contact Name and Address: Ian Watts, Area Education Officer, Worrall House, Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4AE
Publication Date: 22February 2016
The Proposal
It is proposed to permanently expand the school from a capacity of 210 places to 420 places from September 2016. This proposal is subject to obtaining planning agreement for the new accommodation that the school will require in order to expand.
Consultation
A public consultation was carried out by the local authority during the period 9 October and 16 November 2015. A public meeting was held at the school on 22 October 2015.
The outcome of the consultation was reported to Kent County Council’s Education Cabinet Committee on 21 January 2016. The report included a summary of the written responses received, and the views expressed and questions raised at the public meeting. The report can be found at:
Description of alteration and evidence of demand
It is proposed that the school is permanently enlarged , adding a total of 210 places, increasing the published admission number of the school from 30 to 60 for Reception Year entry September 2016. The published admission number for subsequent years would be 60 and the school would grow over a seven year period to reach a total capacity of 420. The school would be provided with additional classrooms to accommodate the expansion. Other modifications will be provided to facilitate the additional numbers.
The Sevenoaks district section of the Kent Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2015-19 identified pressure in the Sevenoaks Rural Eastplanning area.This Commissioning Plan can be viewed at:
The 2016-20 edition of the Kent Commissioning Plan also identifies a growing need for additional primary school places in the Sevenoaks RuralEast planning area. The new edition of the Plan was endorsed by the Education and Young People’s Cabinet Committee at their meeting on 15 December 2015 and can be found with the committee papers at:
The school is inclusive and its location means it is ideally placed to meet the forecast demand for primary school places in the planning area.
Objectives (including how the proposal would increase educational standards and parental choice)
This proposal would enable the school to operate as a two form entry school and make class organisation easier in the future. Increasing the pupil numbers at the school will mean that the school will receive more funding helping it remain viable for the future.
The school was judged as good by Ofsted in October 2011 and was described as a good school with an inclusive, caring ethos.
The school has a strong ethos making a valuable contribution to supporting parental choice in the area. These proposals will help to secure Kent’s ambition “to ensure that Kent’s young people have access to the education, work and skills opportunities necessary to support Kent business to grow and be increasingly competitive in the national and international economy” as set out in ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’.
The effect on other schools, academies and educational institutions within the area
The gradual expansion of the school would ensure a minimum impact on other schools and academies in the locality. Some of the schools in the adjacent planning areas have had to admit pupils over their published admission numbers in order to provide places for local children. This proposal will help to relieve this pressure.
Project costs and indication of how these will be met, including how long term value for money will be achieved;
The total cost of the project is estimated to be in the region of £2,780,000. A feasibility study has been completed and a planning application will be submitted. Appropriate funding has been identified as part of Kent County Council’s Medium Term Capital Programme.
Implementation and any proposed stages for implementation
The date on which the proposals are planned to be implemented is 1 September 2016. Should the Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform agree that implementation of the proposal can go ahead, the decision would be subject to planning agreement. If planning agreement is obtained, it is proposed to implement the proposal from September 2016. This would mean that up to 60 children would be admitted into the Reception Year in September 2016 and subsequent years, allowing the school to grow to a total capacity of 420 over a seven year period.
The procedure for responses: support; objections and comments
A public notice was published in a local newspaper on 22February 2016 and is available on the school’s websiteand Kent County Council’s website:
Within four weeks from the date of publication, any person may send in a response supporting, objecting or commenting on the proposal to Ian Watts, Area Education Officer, Worrall House, Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4AE; or email . The final date for sending in written representations is: 21 March 2016.
The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to
Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013